(Possibly) Slumming it in KL

[Aston100]

Hello.
Need to book a bunch of rooms for next summer in Kuala Lumpur.
I’ll likely book a cheap Hilton or IHG property for most of the group, but I’m tempted to put myself in the IC or Hilton.
I’m diamond with both, and Mrs Aston is gold with Hilton.

Questions:
1. I’ve seen plenty of positive opinions about the Hilton, but not read anything about the IC. Anyone able to advise any advantages of the IC over the Hilton?
2. Any opinions on the two HGI properties? they seem to be next door to each other and look equally bad at first glance. Is one better than the other?
3. I presume the HIX is worse than both the HGIs, based on room size, though free breakfast for all is useful.
4. Is there any decent status recognition at these places? Largely for the purpose of room upgrades.

One further idea is to book one room each at the DT on points, for the upgrade and free breakfast (plus lounge access for me at least), and then make cash bookings for the other rooms, and hope those rooms get an upgrade.

Opinion & alternatives welcome.

Thanks.

[BJ]

DT is not as good as Hilton but it is solid if uninspiring at around half the cost points or cash. Used to be 10k, now 20k points I think. Recognition is excellent IME, always a suite as Diamond. Not certain but I don’t think the HGIs have good location. I think I read there’s a WA coming? Not tried any of the IHG but like everything else in KL it’s cheap.

[Jon]

The IC is nice enough, and I remember the lounge being pretty good when I stayed a few years ago, but I found the rooms quite dark and dingy. Fairly large though. Pool area was nice. Personally I’d opt for the KL Hilton in preference unless location is a factor.

Haven’t tried HIX. KL’s a bit lacking in IHG options really.

Doubletree is (or was last time I was there) excellent value for the money/points, and the rooms are plain-but-nice, lounge decent enough. It won’t blow you away but it does what it says on the tin etc. Terrace suite is good if you want some private outdoor space.

HGIs – don’t. Just don’t. To be fair, the rooms are perfectly acceptable, and clean, functional etc, but the location… unless you have a specific reason to want to be in that particular area, I wouldn’t choose them.

Personally I’d go with Shangri-La any day of the week, and they often have some very good pricing / 3-for-2 deals etc. But if you’re looking more at the Doubletree end of the pricing scale, I’d probably check out some of the serviced apartments, eg Lanson Place, E&O Residence, Fraser Residence, The Face Suites, Oasia.

A lot will depend on which area of town you want/need to be in though…

[Roberto]

I would echo Jon’s comments about the Shangri-la , its our go to place in KL. Great location and a price that often belies its quality.

We have 4 days there in November on our way back from Melbourne and very much looking forward to it

[Jon]

Well worth getting a Horizon Club room for the lounge access.

[Aston100]

Thanks for the replies.
Just for clarification, I’ll be doing 2 weeks in SEA, 7 nights of which will be in KL. It is KL that I need assistance with.
I’m paying (the entire trip) for several people and will likely be booking 5 rooms.
This is going to be a bit pricey, so I’m looking to keep costs down by leveraging my hotel status (and using the tons of points I’ve currently got), and possibly sticking everyone else into a cheap IHG/Hilton hotel – though it will be a bit awkward if I end up in an IC and they all go into the HIX.

So, I appreciate the suggestions of Shangri-La etc but I need to stick to the IHG and Hilton options only.

From the feedback above, and comments I’ve read on TripAdvisor, it is beginning to sound like putting everyone into the DT (some on points, some on cash) might be a good compromise.

Thanks.

[Aston100]

Jon wrote:

HGIs – don’t. Just don’t. To be fair, the rooms are perfectly acceptable, and clean, functional etc, but the location… unless you have a specific reason to want to be in that particular area, I wouldn’t choose them.

Hi Jon, can you tell me more about the location.
When I did a quick check, these two HGIs are about a 5 minute walk to the mono rail into KLCC.
Using google street view, the streets outside look quite ‘local’ to me, but I don’t see that as a problem.

[Pangolin]

The IC had a great lounge and spectacular service, when I stayed there 4 years ago, but the rooms were very dated and badly in need of a refurb.

I really liked everything about the hotel other than the rooms. A lot of ICs are getting refurbs now so if this one gets modernised it should be an excellent option for KL.

[Jon]

Aston100 wrote:

Hi Jon, can you tell me more about the location.
When I did a quick check, these two HGIs are about a 5 minute walk to the mono rail into KLCC.
Using google street view, the streets outside look quite ‘local’ to me, but I don’t see that as a problem.

It’s just a bit of a grim and run-down part of town. Lots of traffic, so getting to/from by car can be laborious, and it’s not the nicest area to walk around. That said, it’s probably in reality perfectly safe, but it doesn’t always feel that way. I guess it might depend on who you’re hosting and what sort of experience you want then to have – if it’s friends/family for budget tourism, it’s probably fine, but if it’s clients/work, it might not give quite the impression you’d hope for 😉

The hawker stalks in nearby Kampung Baru are well worth a visit for the food (if they’re still there by then – slated for redevelopment at some point), but I probably wouldn’t base myself there – DoubleTree would be a better bet, I think. It’s probably subjective though, and YMMV of course, but I didn’t warm to the area when I was there.

Oh one other thought – try to base yourself near an MRT or LRT station in preference to Monorail if you can (if you’ll need public transport) – the latter tends to be the most hot-and-sweaty option; MRT is by far the nicer if it goes to where you want to be, followed by LRT. There are also various free bus routes around the city centre.

[BuildBackBetter]

Do you need to be in the city centre? If not, DT Putrajaya could be an option.